Stop Stretching Before Starting A Workout

How people today perceive fitness is the reason why ‘stretching’ is in a sad state of existence. More or less, it’s dead. What’s worse is what people do right before starting a workout. Yup, that ‘half-assed-trying-to-touch-your-toe’ thing, that’s worse than not stretching at all. Stretching is the foundation of having lesser sore and flexible muscles. Stop fooling yourself in the name of toe-touches and learn how and why, stretching plays a vital role in your physical development. And yes, it will help you walk less like a corpse when your muscles are sore.

Anatomy Of The Muscles And What Stretching Does

Simply put, stretching is the temporary lengthening of the muscle fibers. Stretching increases the blood to micro and major tissues that constitute a muscle. This, eventually, increases the stretch-ability and mobility of the muscles. Muscle’s unique characteristic of elasticity allows it to lengthen and contract without injury. Fascicle is the largest unit of the muscles. Fascicle is further made up of smaller components called myofibrils, which is composed of overlapping bands called sarcomeres. When you stretch, the overlap decreases and the muscles lengthen and when you contract, it increases.

Think Of Muscle As A Rubber Band

Now when you try to stretch a cold rubber band, it will break. That’s a no brainer. Just like the rubber band, our muscles get cold too. While we are at rest, the blood flow in the muscles is slow paced and restricted when compared to while working out. This makes the muscles ‘cold’. Now when you start stretching right off a chair, you are headed for a sprain. Hence, those toe touches, side twists and elbow folds are useless.

Do ‘Dynamic’ Stretching Before Starting A Workout

Dynamic stretching is not just bending here and there and throwing your limbs around in the name of stretching. It’s a controlled and systematic set of kicks, rolls, brief runs and even lifting lighter weights. It’s ideal to get the blood flowing to let the muscles know that it’s time to work. When done properly, it activates joint mobility and blood flow throughout the body

Do ‘Static’ Stretching After Finishing A Workout

Now static stretching is nothing but standing in a place and stretching your limbs. It’s meant to be done AFTER a workout and not before. The logic is simple: your body is warm after a workout so it makes sense for a static stretch.

Stretching Reduces The Chances Of Injury, And Doesn’t Eliminate It

Now don’t think that you can get away with bad form on different lifts just by stretching. Stretching doesn’t guarantee elimination of injury. If your form sucks and your ego lift, you will be injured, stretching or not.